Hmmmm..... interesting question. I've never seen this species either in the trade or in any of my books. I don't have either the Smith or Gilmartin references mentioned in the article, though.

It certainly is attractive (Journal photo on link below). I think Padilla's observation that the Andean species are difficult to keep alive in So Cal (or Florida, Hawaii etc.) probably accounts for why it never became established in the trade. Of course it may do better in the Pacific NW as she suggests, or even in the Bay Area, but how you'd get ahold of stock or seeds, I don't know.

BTW, where in Berkeley are you? I grew up in that area.

Here is a link that might be useful: {{gwi:438624}}

Lisa,
Thanks for the reply! I was thinking that if it were still available, it might be thru growers in Ecuador? I don't currently subscribe to the journal, so don't know if any of the south American nurseries still advertise there. I don't recall ever seeing this at Pamela Koides's old nursery, Birdrock Tropicals, but would have thought hers would be a natural supplier if it were still in the trade, as she grows/grew so many high altitude Tillandsia species that wouldn't survive in Florida or Texas.

I have been living almost 20 years now in north Berkeley, very near to the North Berkeley BART station, down in the flats so to speak. I do a lot of my landscape design work here in the Berkeley hills, Albany, El Cerrito, Oakland area, so it is a rather ideal climate for the more cold hardy bromeliads, and over the years I've built up enough plantings in various gardens to be able to use them upon dividing them in other new gardens. I'm always on the look out for other suitable species to try out, and am extremely envious of those of you who can grow all the more tropical types. Still, there are quite a few bromeliads that tolerate the occasional freezes we get here, and the local San Francisco Bromeliad Society is full of members who grow their collections outdoors year round.

So Lisa, what part of Berkeley was your home base? This town is just large enough that it feels completely different from area to area. I guess I am mostly plugged into the north Berkeley/Monterey Market/Solano Ave/Thousand Oaks/Fourth Street neighborhoods, rather than south Berkeley or areas more influenced by the University campus, although I do regularly visit Strawberry Canyon, the UC Berkeley Botanic garden, and Tilden Park. I also seem to get a lot of work over in nearby Alameda, where the homes closest to the bay almost never freeze. In fact, these gardens are where I have had the most success with the real warm growers such as the Portea's.

Hopefully this post might bring someone out of the wood works who actually grows or has grown Guzmania diffusa! Somehow I doubt this species would have ever survived some place like Seattle, especially after this winter's cold. Even at 10,000 foot elevation in Ecuador or Columbia, I suspect it wouldn't likely get much colder than mid-20'sF in winter, and most of Seattle got into single digits this winter, or at most low teens right near the water.

Ahh... you're down at the other end of town. Handy to Berkeley Hort! Solano area is nice, some good restaurants over there. I'm actually a North Oakland girl, I lived about a half block from the Berkeley line, kind of between the Elmwood and Rockridge areas. Both parents worked on or near UC campus, so that whole area is really familiar too. And of course I spent a fair amount of time up at Strawberry Canyon. I've been in Hawaii since '77, though, and haven't been back to visit since 2001.

I haven't seen any but US brom nurseries listed in the Journal for a long time. Not even Aussie growers, I wonder why? FCBS has a links page (below), and if you scroll about halfway down there's a list of suppliers, but none for Colombia or Ecuador. Just Brazil and one or two in Central Am.

You mentioned Bird Rock, you might email Pam and ask her if she knows anything about it. I'm sure there's a contact link on her site.

Here is a link that might be useful: FCBS links

Jeffrey Kent might have these (assuming he'd be willing to part with one).